The Italian Catholic Diocese of Vigevano ( la, Dioecesis Viglevanensis) lies almost entirely in the

Province of Pavia The province of Pavia ( it, Provincia di Pavia) is a province in the region of Lombardy in northern Italy; its capital is Pavia. , the province has a population of 548,722 inhabitants and an area of ; the town of Pavia has a population of 72,205. ...

Lombardy (man), (woman) lmo, lumbard, links=no (man), (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , ...

. It has existed since 1530. The diocese is

suffragan A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations. In the Anglican Communion, a suffragan bishop is a bishop who is subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop (bishop ordinary) and so is not normally jurisdiction ...

of the

Archdiocese of Milan The Archdiocese of Milan ( it, Arcidiocesi di Milano; la, Archidioecesis Mediolanensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Italy which covers the areas of Milan, Monza, Lecco and Varese. It has lon ...

,"Diocese of Vigevano"
''

Catholic-Hierarchy.org ''Catholic-Hierarchy.org'' is an online database of bishops and dioceses of the Roman Catholic Church and Eastern Catholic Churches. The website is not officially sanctioned by the Church. It is run as a private project by David M. Cheney in ...

''. David M. Cheney. Retrieved February 29, 2016. "Diocese of Vigevano"
''GCatholic.org''. Gabriel Chow. Retrieved 9 March 2016. having been suffragan of the

Archdiocese of Vercelli The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vercelli (in Latin, ''Archidioecesis Vercellensis'') is a Latin rite Metropolitan see in northern Italy, one of the two archdioceses which, together with their suffragan dioceses, form the ecclesiastical region ...

until 9 April 1578.

History

The earliest notices of

Vigevano Vigevano (; lmo, label=Western Lombard, Avgevan) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Pavia, Lombardy in northern Italy. A historic art town, it is also renowned for shoemaking and is one of the main centres of Lomellina, a rice-growing a ...

date from the tenth century, when it was favoured as a residence by King

Arduin of Ivrea Arduin ( it, Arduino; – 14 December 1015) was an Italian nobleman who was King of Italy from 1002 until 1014. In 990 Arduin became Margrave of Ivrea and in 991 Count of the Sacred Palace of the Lateran in Rome. In 1002, after the death of Em ...

(1002–1014) for hunting. In the next period it was a Ghibelline commune, and was accordingly besieged and taken by the

Milanese Milanese (endonym in traditional orthography , ') is the central variety of the Western dialect of the Lombard language spoken in Milan, the rest of its metropolitan city, and the northernmost part of the province of Pavia. Milanese, due to ...

in 1201 and again in 1275. In 1328 it surrendered to

Azzone Visconti Azzone Visconti (7 December 1302 – 16 August 1339) was lord of Milan from 1329 until his death. After the death of his uncle, Marco Visconti, he was threatened with excommunication and had to submit to Pope John XXII. Azzone reconstituted his fa ...

, and thereafter shared the political fortunes of Milan. In the last years of the Visconti domination it sustained a siege by

Francesco Sforza Francesco I Sforza (; 23 July 1401 – 8 March 1466) was an Italian condottiero who founded the Sforza dynasty in the duchy of Milan, ruling as its (fourth) duke from 1450 until his death. In the 1420s, he participated in the War of L'A ...

. At the end of September 1418,

Pope Martin V Pope Martin V ( la, Martinus V; it, Martino V; January/February 1369 – 20 February 1431), born Otto (or Oddone) Colonna, was the head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 11 November 1417 to his death in February 1431. Hi ...

visited Vigevano and a number of other cities of Lombardy during his trip from

Konstanz Konstanz (, , locally: ; also written as Constance in English) is a university city with approximately 83,000 inhabitants located at the western end of Lake Constance in the south of Germany. The city houses the University of Konstanz and was t ...

to Rome. Until 1530 the town belonged to the

Diocese of Novara The Diocese of Novara ( la, Dioecesis Novariensis) is a Roman Catholic diocese in the Piedmont region of northwest Italy. It is a suffragan of the Archdiocese of Vercelli.Francesco II Sforza Francesco II Sforza (February 4, 1495 – November 2, 1535) was Duke of Milan from 1521 until his death. He was the last member of the Sforza family to rule Milan. He was the second son of Ludovico Sforza and Beatrice d'Este. When Ludovic ...

of Milan procured the erection of the see and provided its revenues. The diocese was created by

Pope Clement VII Pope Clement VII ( la, Clemens VII; it, Clemente VII; born Giulio de' Medici; 26 May 1478 – 25 September 1534) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 19 November 1523 to his death on 25 September 1534. Deemed "the ...

in the bull "Ex eminenti" of 17 March 1529. The first bishop was Galeazzo Pietra, succeeded by his nephew

Maurizio Pietra Maurizio is an Italian masculine given name, derived from the Roman name Mauritius. Mauritius is a derivative of Maurus, meaning ''dark-skinned, Moorish''. List of people with the given name Maurizio Art and music * Maurizio Arcieri (born 1945), ...

(1552); both of these promoted the Tridentine reforms, and the work was continued by their successors.

Marsilio Landriani Marsilio Landriani (Milan, 1751 – Vienna, 1815) was an Italian chemist, physicist and meteorologist. He became known with his first book, (Physical investigations on the salubrity of air), published in 1775. In it he described a new instrumen ...

(1594) distinguished himself in various nunciatures and founded a

Barnabite , image = Barnabites.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = One version of the Barnabite logo. "P.A." refers to Paul the Apostle and the three hills symbolize the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. , a ...

college for the education of young men.

Giorgio Odescalchi Giorgio may refer to: * Castel Giorgio, ''comune'' in Umbria, Italy * Giorgio (name), an Italian given name and surname * Giorgio Moroder, or Giorgio, Italian record producer ** ''Giorgio'' (album), an album by Giorgio Moroder * "Giorgio" (song), ...

(1610) was a very zealous pastor; the process of his beatification has been commenced.

Giovanni Caramuel Lobkowitz Juan Caramuel y Lobkowitz (Juan Caramuel de Lobkowitz, 23 May 1606 in Madrid — 7 or 8 September 1682 in Vigevano) was a Spanish Catholic scholastic philosopher, ecclesiastic, mathematician and writer. He is believed to be a great-grandson o ...

(1675) was an example of pastoral activity and the author of many works, philosophical, theological, ascetical etc., though his ''Theologia fundamentalis'' was censured.

Pier Marino Sonnani Seaside pleasure pier in Brighton, England. The first seaside piers were built in England in the early 19th century.">England.html" ;"title="Brighton, England">Brighton, England. The first seaside piers were built in England in the early 19th ...

(1688), a Franciscan, who enlarged the seminary and maintained a struggle against the spread of the doctrines of

Miguel Molinos Miguel de Molinos (baptised 29 June 1628 – 29 December 1696) was a Spanish mystic, the chief representative of the religious revival known as Quietism. Biography He was born in 1628 near Muniesa (Teruel), in Aragon, a village around south o ...

. With the Treaty of Worms (1743) the diocese became part of the

Kingdom of Sardinia The Kingdom of Sardinia,The name of the state was originally Latin: , or when the kingdom was still considered to include Corsica. In Italian it is , in French , in Sardinian , and in Piedmontese . also referred to as the Kingdom of Savoy-S ...

. All cathedral chapters and collegiate church chapters were abolished by the French Occupation government on 28 March 1801. It was restored by N. Bonaparte, Emperor of the French and King of Italy (1805–1814) in 1805. From 1802 until May 1805, Vigevano was a constituent element of the

Italian Republic Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

, of which Napoleon was the president. It was a District in the Department of Agogna, with its capital at Novara. A concordat with the papacy was signed on 16 September 1803. In Article II, §4 of the Concordat, Vigevano was assigned to the metropolitanate of Milan. In Article XV, §17, the suppression of ecclesiastical foundations without the consent of the Holy See was forbidden. Bishop Nicola Saverio Gamboni of the diocese of Capri was appointed to the see by Napoleon in 1805, but he was refused his bulls of transfer and institution by

Pope Pius VII Pope Pius VII ( it, Pio VII; born Barnaba Niccolò Maria Luigi Chiaramonti; 14 August 1742 – 20 August 1823), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 14 March 1800 to his death in August 1823. Chiaramonti was also a m ...

. He was therefore only the Administrator of the temporalities of the diocese. In 1817, after the agreements at the

Congress of Vienna The Congress of Vienna (, ) of 1814–1815 was a series of international diplomatic meetings to discuss and agree upon a possible new layout of the European political and constitutional order after the downfall of the French Emperor Napoleon ...

, which returned the Kingdom of Sardinia to the House of Savoy after French occupation, the diocese of Vigevano received an addition to its territory.

Diocesan synods

A diocesan synod was an irregularly held, but important, meeting of the bishop of a diocese and his clergy. Its purpose was (1) to proclaim generally the various decrees already issued by the bishop; (2) to discuss and ratify measures on which the bishop chose to consult with his clergy; (3) to publish statutes and decrees of the diocesan synod, of the provincial synod, and of the Holy See. John Paul II, Constitutio Apostolica ''de Synodis Dioecesanis Agendis'' (March 19, 1997)
''Acta Apostolicae Sedis'' 89
(1997), pp. 706-727. Andrea Tilatti, "Sinodi diocesane e concili provinciali in italia nord-orientale fra Due e Trecento. Qualche riflessione," ''Mélanges de l'Ecole française de Rome. Moyen-Age, Temps modernes T. 112, N°1. 2000, pp. 273-304. Bishop Maurizio Pietra (1552–1576) presided over a diocesan synod in 1572. A diocesan synod was held by Bishop Alessandro Casale (1577–1582) in 1578. In 1587, Bishop Bernardino Bricennio (1582–1588) held a diocesan synod. Bishop Marsilio Landriani (1593–1609) held a diocesan synod in 1608. A diocesan synod was held by Bishop Giuseppe Maria Scarampi (1757–1801) on 13–15 June 1768, noting in his letter of summons that it had been a century since the last synod. Bishop Giovanni Francesco Toppia (1818–1828) held a diocesan synod on 14–16 September 1823, to repair the damage done during the French occupation. Bishop Pietro Giuseppe de Gaudenzi (1871–1891) presided over a diocesan synod on 23–25 August 1876. De Gaudenzi held his third diocesan synod on 16–17 September 1886.

Chapter and cathedral

The church which became the Cathedral of Vigevano was initially built in 1100, and then rebuilt in the sixteenth century through a commission by Duke Francesco II Sforza. It was dedicated to S. Ambrose, the bishop of Milan in the 4th century. The facade of the second and current structure was re-designed by Bishop

Juan Caramuel y Lobkowitz Juan Caramuel y Lobkowitz (Juan Caramuel de Lobkowitz, 23 May 1606 in Madrid — 7 or 8 September 1682 in Vigevano) was a Spanish Catholic scholastic philosopher, ecclesiastic, mathematician and writer. He is believed to be a great-grandson of J ...

in 1673 (completed c. 1680). The original bull of erection of the diocese instituted a cathedral Chapter with four dignities, the Provost, the Archdeacon, the Archpriest, and the Dean. The number of Canons was fixed at twelve. The cathedral continued to function as a parish church. Shortly thereafter, two more dignities were added: the Cantor and the Primicerius. In 1671, the cathedral Chapter, the corporation responsible for the operation and administration of the cathedral, its liturgical life, and its property, was composed of six dignities and twelve Canons. The Chapter was abolished by the French Occupation government on 28 March 1801. It was restored by First Consul N. Bonaparte in 1805. Following the restoration, it had three dignities (Provost, Archdeacon, and Archpriest) and eleven Canons. In addition there were four chaplains appointed by the King of Sardinia, five chaplains called Marini after Bishop Pier Marino Sormani, and seven chaplains with various other patrons. The Church of S. Pietro Martiere was built, with the adjacent Dominican convent, by

Filippo Maria Visconti Filippo Maria Visconti (3 September 1392 – 13 August 1447)

in 1445; the convent is now used for government offices and courts. Among the civil edifices is the castle, once a fortress, built by

Bramante Donato Bramante ( , , ; 1444 – 11 April 1514), born as Donato di Pascuccio d'Antonio and also known as Bramante Lazzari, was an Italian architect and painter. He introduced Renaissance architecture to Milan and the High Renaissance st ...

in 1492, by order of

Ludovico il Moro Ludovico Maria Sforza (; 27 July 1452 – 27 May 1508), also known as Ludovico il Moro (; "the Moor"). "Arbiter of Italy", according to the expression used by Guicciardini,

, which became a royal palace.

Bishops

1530 to 1700

* Galeazzo Pietra (14 Mar 1530 – 27 Oct 1552) *

(27 Oct 1552 – 20 May 1576) * Alessandro Casale (1 Jul 1577 – 16 Feb 1582) * Bernardino Bricennio (Brisseno) (5 Nov 1582 – 11 Aug 1588) *

Pietro Fauno Costacciaro Pietro is an Italian masculine given name. Notable people with the name include: People * Pietro I Candiano (c. 842–887), briefly the 16th Doge of Venice * Pietro Tribuno (died 912), 17th Doge of Venice, from 887 to his death * Pietro II Can ...

(12 Jun 1589 – 9 Sep 1592) *

(10 Nov 1593 – 27 Aug 1609) * Pietro Giorgio Odescalchi (26 May 1610 – 7 May 1620) *

Francisco Romero Francisco Romero may refer to: * Francisco García Romero (1559–1630s), Spanish military officer * Francisco Romero (bishop) (died 1635), served as archbishop in Italy *Francisco Romero (bullfighter) (1700–1763), Spanish matador *Francisco Rome ...

O. Carm. , image = , caption = Coat of arms of the Carmelites , abbreviation = OCarm , formation = Late 12th century , founder = Early hermits of Mount Carmel , founding_location = Mount Car ...

(11 Jan 1621 – 16 Jul 1635)"Archbishop Francisco Romero, O. Carm."
''

''. David M. Cheney. Retrieved March 9, 2019. ::''Sede vacante (1635–1648)'' * Juan Gutiérrez (18 May 1648 – 20 Mar 1649)"Bishop Juan Gutiérrez"
''

''. David M. Cheney. Retrieved March 9, 2019. ::''Sede vacante (1649–1654)'' *

Gabriel Adarzo de Santander y Martínez de Viaín In Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam), Gabriel (); Greek: grc, Γαβριήλ, translit=Gabriḗl, label=none; Latin: ''Gabriel''; Coptic: cop, Ⲅⲁⲃⲣⲓⲏⲗ, translit=Gabriêl, label=none; Amharic: am, ገብር� ...

, O. de M. (9 Mar 1654 –1657) * Attilio Pietrasanta, O. Cist. (1659–1666) * Gerolamo Visconti (3 Oct 1667 – 26 Oct 1670) * Giovanni Rasino (1 Jul 1671 – 18 Nov 1672) *

O.S.B. , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , found ...

(25 Sep 1673 – 7 Sep 1682) * Ferdinando de Rojas (1683–1685) * Pier Marino Sormani, O.F.M. (1688–1702)

since 1700

*Gerolamo Archinto (1703–1710) *Giorgio Cattaneo (2 Mar 1712 – 7 Nov 1730) *Carlo Bossi (1731–1753) *Francesco Agostino della Chiesa (17 Feb 1755 – 11 Aug 1755) *Giuseppe Maria Scarampi (18 Jul 1757 – 18 Feb 1801) ::''Sede vacante'' (1801–1805) :Nicola Zaverio Gambone (1805–1807) *Francesco Milesi (18 Sep 1807 – 23 Sep 1816) *Giovanni Francesco Toppia (25 May 1818 – 20 Jul 1828) *Giovanni Battista Accusani (1830–1843) *Pio Vincenzo Forzani (25 Jan 1844 – 15 Dec 1859) ::''Sede vacante'' (1859–1871) *Pietro Giuseppe de Gaudenzi (27 Oct 1871 – 15 Oct 1891) *Giacomo Merizzi (14 Dec 1891 – 28 Nov 1898 Resigned) *Pietro Berruti (28 Nov 1898 – 8 Apr 1921) *Angelo Giacinto Scapardini, O.P. (27 Aug 1921 – 18 May 1937) *Giovanni Bargiggia (6 Jul 1937 – 11 Apr 1946) *Antonio Picconi (13 Jun 1946 – 21 Apr 1952) *Luigi Barbero (26 Jul 1952 – 1 Apr 1971) *Mario Rossi (4 Aug 1971 – 19 Aug 1988) *Giovanni Locatelli (12 Nov 1988 – 18 Mar 2000 Retired) *Claudio Baggini (18 Mar 2000 – 12 Mar 2011 Resigned) *Vincenzo Di Mauro (12 Mar 2011 – 21 Jul 2012 Resigned) *Maurizio Gervasoni (20 Jul 2013 – )

Parishes

Of the 87 parishes 86 are located, like Vigevano, within the

. The exception is S. Silvano Martire which is within the

commune A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to: Administrative-territorial entities * Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township ** Communes of ...

Sozzago Sozzago (Piedmontese: ''Sosach'') is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the province of Novara in the Italian region Piedmont, located about northeast of Turin and about southeast of Novara. Sozzago borders the following municipalities: Cassolnovo ...

in the

Piedmont it, Piemontese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographics1_title2 ...

ese

province of Novara Novara (It. ''Provincia di Novara'') is a province in the Piedmont region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Novara. In 1992, the new Province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola was created through the fusion of three geographical areas which had prev ...

.Sourc
chiesacattolica.it
(retrieved:2008-03-13) In 2014 there was one priest for every 1,682 Catholics.

References

Books

Reference works

* p. 827. * p. 334. * p. 369. * p. 415. * p. 442. * * *

Studies

* * * * *

External links

*Benigni, Umberto.

" The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 15. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1912. Retrieved: 2016-10-06. {{authority control

Province of Pavia Province of Novara Religious organizations established in the 1530s